Wails filled the streets, and sad faces filled the ground.
The Taoist walked through the fields and walked into the city, asking the city officials for details. The officials had some ideas and were organizing responses. They were just fine in the face of a small disaster, but they were powerless against such a major disaster.
For them, this may be like a flood, a drought, or an earth dragon turning over. Officials and wealthy households still have the ability to sigh, but the people at the bottom have always been the weakest in the face of natural and man-made disasters, so they can only cry and wail in silence.
I endured it until I could no longer make a sound.
It is conceivable that after the locust plague, if there is no government relief, the land will be filled with hungry people and complaints will spread everywhere.
To the north of Yan County, the locust plague was the most serious. The Taoist entered the city from the south, passed through the county, and then continued north, heading towards the place where the locust plague was the most serious.
Horse bells jingle.
It's afternoon.
The Sanhua Empress huddled in the saddlebags on the horse's back, swaying with the horse's pace, sticking out her head and looking forward.
Suddenly a locust flew over.
"brush!"
The calico cat stretched out its paws like lightning and accurately caught the locust. It held it in front of its eyes and looked at it. It looked up for the swallow, but when it didn't find it, it loosened its paws and threw it away.
"Snapped……"
Another locust landed on the Taoist's shoulder.
The swallow suddenly flew from behind, drew a curve in the air lightly, flew close to the Taoist, passed by the Taoist's shoulder, and the locust disappeared.
The calico cat turned its head and looked in the direction in which the swallow flew.
Those amber-like eyes reflected the turbid sky full of wind and sand. The locusts in the sky were densely packed. You could still see them clearly from a distance, but you couldn't see them from a distance. You only knew that the sky was a little darker.
Suddenly the Taoist stopped.
The bay horse responded quickly and stopped immediately.
The ringing of the horse bell suddenly stopped.
I saw a figure among the fields in front of me, with a stooped figure, holding a rag, beating insects all over the sky and the ground.
In the dim sky and earth, he seemed tireless.
It seems to be fighting against the whole world.
The Taoist couldn't help but stand by the road and turned to look at him.
After a while, I looked around, found a path, and walked over.
The bay-red horse is still following behind.
There were so many locusts in the ground, they were densely packed, and there were countless locusts flying in the air, making the sound of flapping wings.
"Buzz buzz..."
The old man held the piece of cloth and patted it repeatedly.
As I got closer, I realized that instead of being tireless, I was obviously so tired that I was sweating profusely and panting. I no longer had the energy to speak anymore, so I had to repeat the slapping action.
If a piece of cloth is hit on an insect, it can really sweep away one piece of it.
You can catch it with a slap and crush it to death with a kick.
It's just that there are so many bugs in the sky that he alone and a piece of cloth can't clean them all.
The buzzing and flapping sounds were really noisy. It wasn't until the sound of the horse's bell came closer that the old man realized it. He stopped his movements slightly, turned his head to rest, and looked over pantingly.
I saw that the person coming was a young gentleman, wearing an old Taoist robe and following a bay-red horse. The man and the horse were not walking on the road over there, but they came here.
A closer look revealed that the horse was carrying a bag on its back, and there was also a calico cat in the bag. Amidst the locusts in the sky, the Taoist stood on the edge of the field and looked at him. The calico cat in the bag also poked its head out and stared at him.
With.
At the same time, a bird flew from the sky and landed on the horse's back. It seemed to be a swallow, staring at him as well.
The locusts were as numerous as sand in the wind, and this group of people was also extremely strange.
Seeing this scene, the old man couldn't help but be stunned.
Then he saw the young Taoist asking him: "Old man, how long will it take you to finish fighting the locusts all over the sky?"
The old man was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said:
"Then what can I do..."
"I heard that the government is hunting insects in the north. Is it effective?"
"More or less..."
The old man said, but couldn't help but sigh.
After hearing this, Song You roughly understood, and asked again: "Excuse me, father-in-law, when did these locusts start to appear?"
"It's been a while. I was in the north before. When the crops in the north were finished, they flew to us."
"I heard it was a demon causing trouble?"
"There are so many bugs. They are either monsters or locust gods. Otherwise, what else could they be?"
"Are there any in previous years?"
"This bug exists every year, and it comes every year. How can we escape its torment? We farmers have worked hard for a year, and we don't just pick up what they have left." The old man sighed, "It's just that we have to work hard for a year.
Although there have been some in previous years, after they finish eating, there will always be some left. How can there be so many like this year? This year it has become a disaster, most likely because of a ghost..."
"I see."
The old man only felt severe pain in his lower back. Taking advantage of a little rest, he supported his waist with his hands and talked to him: "Where do you come from, sir?"
"People from Xiayizhou travel around the world."
"Where are you going?"
"I was going to Changjing. I heard that there was a demon here, so I came over to take a look."
When the old man heard this, he immediately asked him:
"Sir, are you here to get rid of demons?"
"I have this idea." Song You answered truthfully, "It's just that my abilities are limited, so I may not be able to have much effect."
The old man sighed again when he heard this.
"Well, not long ago, there was a sword-wielding demon slayer. He also said that he came to slay demons. He was so fierce. He could swing his sword and create a strong wind. When the wind blew him, insects all over the sky would fly away.
Whereabouts, it’s just that there are too many bugs in the sky. He has been busy for a day, but there seems to be a few bugs, but they don’t seem to be missing, so it’s of no use.”
"Oh? Where is the demon slayer now?"
"Said he left..."
"That's it."
Song You stood on the ridge of the field again and talked with him several times, asking him what he planted in the field, how much land he planted, how much was harvested, and how much was lost. He only heard the farmers' hard work and helplessness.
Throughout the ages, farmers have always suffered the most.
However, there are still many people who have been away from the farmland for too long. Not only do they not realize the hardships of farming, they also think that the fields and grains are self-sustaining.
How ridiculous.
"..."
Song You shook his head and finally said to the old man: "Thank you very much for your answer and for helping me."
After saying that, he waved his hand and waved the strong wind.
The locusts on the ground were all blown up, and the locusts in the sky were also carried by the strong wind. When they landed again, they were all motionless.
Song You said goodbye to him and returned to the main road.
Locusts were flying all over the sky.
These locusts have turned black and yellow, which is a change that occurs after living in groups. At the same time, they will become more excited, act in a unified manner, fly in one piece, and when they are the most dense, they will almost crash into each other arrogantly.
The Taoist and the bay-red horse collided with each other.
At first, the calico cat exposed its head and kept spitting fire to protect her Taoist priests and horses. However, there were too many locusts, and when she was very tired, it had no effect. She also found that although there were many locusts, they were actually harmful to the Taoist priests and horses.
They weren't threatening, just annoying, so they gave up and put their heads in their robes, out of sight and out of mind.
"well……"
Looking at the locusts all over the sky, even the Taoist priest couldn't help but frown, feeling quite helpless.
Gwangju and Yueju Yeonju above are places where locusts are prone to occur. I heard that there used to be a locust god worshiped here, but that was just the local evil god, not the righteous god. I heard that he was always restless and would make some noise every year.
They come out to harm crops, even if they satisfy their own appetites, they use them as threats to obtain incense. At that time, the local people did not dare to hunt locusts when they saw them, but only dared to endure them silently.
Slowly, the locust god grew bigger and bigger, his appetite became bigger and bigger, and each locust plague became more and more exaggerated.
The state officials who took office later were very ambitious and upheld the emperor's grace. In the territory of Dayan, even gods and demons were not allowed to violate the government and cause chaos at will, so they directly pulled out the locust god and killed him.
Then he lived in peace for many years.
I think this time it was a natural disaster.
However, there are too many locusts...
Song You frowned.
At this moment, Yan Zi, who was standing on the horse's back, quietly glanced at him, his eyes flickering. He finally mustered up the courage and said to the Taoist:
"gentlemen……"
"Um?"
"I might...maybe...be able to deal with this insect plague..."
"Do you have a good idea?"
"I don't dare to say that there is a good strategy. It's just that swallows themselves have to eat locusts. We have to protect the swallows and we have the unique ability to transform one into ten thousand..."
When Song You heard this, he remembered it.
An Qing Yanzi does have this ability.
When they were in Yuezhou, the swallow and the cat demonstrated their ability to change by comparing their spells.
It's just that although this little swallow's moral skills are not shallow, he has made great progress since he was with me. But even if he can transform into hundreds or thousands of locusts, how can he kill all the locusts?
Song You couldn't understand for a moment, but he didn't deny it. He just said to him: "Don't be nervous. Take your time. The locusts here are already infested and spread over at least a hundred miles. Even I can't deal with them. If you really have a way,
Treating disasters means saving the people of a certain area. If we can't save them, it doesn't matter. If we can get rid of some, more or less, it's a good thing."
"I am a humble person, so naturally I can't get rid of so many insects. However, my ancestors have reached the pinnacle of this task. They can transform into thousands of people. They use swallows to hold grains and can hold the entire official warehouse in one go." The swallow paused for a moment and then said.
A lot calmer, "After our ancestors ascended to heaven, they left behind their physical bodies and some feathers to share with us. Thanks to our ancestors' love, I and several other elders who made the greatest contribution in searching for fine breeds overseas got the most.
The feathers on the wing tips are divided into three, and each one can use the skills of the ancestors in their heyday..."
"I see."
Song You suddenly realized this and couldn't help but nod.
Anqing Yanxian has practiced Taoism for thousands of years. Whether it is the body of a swallow or this ability, he can just control insects. If he has his ability, it is not a big problem to control insects.
Yanzi continued to look at him, and after receiving confirmation, he became more confident and said: "Use all three, and you will be able to get rid of these bugs..."
"Then I have to thank you on behalf of the local people."
"Don't dare, don't dare..."
Although Yanzi spoke in a low voice, he was actually happy in his heart.
Then he still stood on the horse, turned his head behind him, and took out three feathers from his wings as if he were scratching an itch or combing his hair.
It looks like it was pulled out of itself.
The swallow did not move at all. It only fluttered its wings with three feathers in its mouth and soared into the sky.
"Peng..."
A cloud of smoke suddenly exploded in the sky.
The smoke looks black, as thick as ink, but if you look closely, it reveals a faint blue and metallic luster, like the black feathers on the back of a swallow.
Then a burst of chirping and chirping was heard.
It's like countless birds singing in unison inside.
"Wow..."
Countless swallows flapped their wings, flew out of the smoke, and dispersed into the distance. The sound of the wind flapping their wings easily drowned out the hum of locusts in the sky.
Looking at the group of swallows up close, they looked like a dark cloud. It wasn't until they flew far away and dispersed that the dark cloud slowly faded and turned into countless small dots flying far away in the sky. Most of them
All flew to places out of sight, and some of them lowered their altitude nearby and flexibly turned back in the air to hunt locusts or land on the ground.
The sky is filled with the sounds of birds chirping and flapping wings.
This scene lasted for a long time, and I don't know how many swallows were released before it finally stopped.
Song You looked up -
It was like traveling through time, and seeing the scene when An Qing Yanxian used his skills to bring disaster relief food from the official warehouse in the year of the disaster. I think the victims at that time saw it, and they were just as shocked as he was at that time.
The cat also raised its head high and stared blankly.